Bulk foodstuff dispensers have long been known and used to dispense portions of foodstuffs. Foodstuffs to be dispensed have varied from those which are hard and not easily broken, such as nuts and frozen toppings, to more fragile pieces such as cereal flakes or puffed cereal. Dispensers typically include a holding bin or hopper for containing a bulk supply of foodstuffs to be dispensed, and a dispensing mechanism for moving foodstuff to a dispensing opening, where a portion of the foodstuff is dispensed. It is also common for such dispensers to be used in a commercial setting where it is necessary to dispense a series of measured portions. The effectiveness of any foodstuff dispenser may thus be measured by how well and how consistently the dispensing mechanism moves foodstuff from the hopper to the dispensing opening, and by how well and consistently it dispenses measured portions of a foodstuff. Ergonomics are also an important consideration, particularly when an operator may be dispensing a great many portions of foodstuff over an extended period.
Many known foodstuff dispensers utilize gravity to move the foodstuff from the hopper to the dispensing opening. U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,248 to Anderson, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,178,697 to Brundick both disclose dispensers which utilize agitators to keep the bulk foodstuff from sticking together, and to keep the foodstuff moving under the force of gravity until they are dispensed. The dispensers of Anderson and Brundick are effective for their intended mode of operation, but do not have any capability to accurately dispense predetermined portions of foodstuffs.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,593,803 to Schofield; U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,609 to Morse et. al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,634 to Hayes; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,438 to Ellis et. al disclose dispensers utilizing augers to move foodstuffs toward an opening where they are dispensed. Each of those patents uses either a crank or a knob to rotate the respective device's auger, with the crank or knob being fixedly attached to the auger such that the respective knob or crank rotates in the same direction as and in unison with the rotation of the auger. Portion control is effected by the user rotating the crank or knob until the desired portion has been dispensed. This method of dispensing the desired portion of foodstuff is more effective than gravity-fed dispensers. However, because the starting position and ending position of the knob/crank typically vary from one dispensing to the next, it is not possible to accurately pre-determine the desired portion to be dispensed. Instead, any such accuracy which may be achieved comes as a result of the operator of the device becoming more adept through trial and error at turning the knob/crank just the right amount to provide the desired portion to be dispensed. This is an inefficient and wasteful approach to portion control, particularly in food operations involving numerous workers, often of an unskilled or untrained nature. In addition, because the knob or crank rotates on a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the auger, the aforementioned dispensers may not be as ergonomically sound as would be desirable. For example, having a worker repeatedly turn a knob with some force required could often lead to repetitive use injuries, such as carpal-tunnel syndrome.
Therefore, what is needed is an ergonomically sound dispenser which is capable of accurately dispensing pre-determined portions of foodstuffs with a minimum amount of operator training and experience.